# HBNetwork/python-decouple

Strict separation of config from code.

Repository: https://github.com/HBNetwork/python-decouple
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/python-decouple
Language: Python
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: python, configuration-files, environment-variables
Last push: 2024-11-28T20:56:27+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4572, "days_push": 643, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3038, forks 218 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:39.203606+00:00)

## What it is
python-decouple is a Python library that enforces strict separation of configuration settings from code, reading parameters from .env or .ini files with typed casting and sensible defaults. Originally built for Django, it works as a generic settings helper for any Python application.

## Use cases
- load environment variables from a .env file in python
- parse DEBUG=False as a boolean instead of a truthy string
- manage Django settings with defaults and type casting
- keep secrets like API keys out of source code
- share one settings module across dev and production instances

## When to choose
- you want typed config values (bool, int) instead of raw strings from os.environ
- you use Django or Flask and want simple .env/.ini based settings
- you need per-deploy configuration without redeploying code

## When to avoid
- you need schema validation or nested config structures - use pydantic-settings or dynaconf
- you only need plain os.environ access with no casting
- you need hierarchical config across many services

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: configuration-management, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, web-development, backend
- platform: python, cli
- tags: env-files, ini-files, django, settings, twelve-factor

## Member repositories
- HBNetwork/python-decouple (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:39.203606+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:29:16.604373+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/HBNetwork/python-decouple (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:39.203606+00:00, sha 9cb7f9a38fe6)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.